Latest Projects – Summer 2014

Credit Photo by Norton Gusky CC BY 4.0

In the fall of 2013 I joined the South Fayette School District team as an outreach coordinator to share their STEAM computational thinking model with two other schools – the Fort Cherry School District and the Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS). This summer the South Fayette School District hosted a Summer STEAM Innovation Institute that included teachers from over 20 schools / districts/institutions. Workshops included: Scratch, Littlebits, Zulama, Game Jam, and app development. I worked with my colleague, Aileen Owens, to develop the workshop ideas and possible instructors. WESA-FM, one of the local PBS radio stations in Pittsburgh, created an outstanding feature about the event.

For the past year I served as the local coordinator for regional events that were part of FlipCon14, the annual Flipped Learning conference. This year the Mars Area School District (one of my clients) hosted the event. The regional events included a Remake Learning Zone showcasing projects that were funded through Sprout Fund grants and a Flipped Learning Evening at the Carnegie Science Center.

I work with Zulama, a Pittsburgh based company. Zulama offers a game-based program for K-12 schools. I’m part of a team that develops professional development for educators learning about the Zulama Entertainment Technology Academy. During this summer Mary Wilson, a teacher at the Elizabeth Forward School District and one of the Zulama team members, conducted a training session for some of the local districts that will join the 30 other schools around the country using the Carnegie Mellon University materials.

I helped to develop a successful grant proposal funded by Google. As part of a STEAM grant the Neighborhood Learning Alliance and its partner, the YMCA, are developing Technology Warriors to work with younger students in places, such as Hilltop, a community center in the Mount Oliver/ Knoxville area of Pittsburgh.